MARITAL STATUS CERTIFICATE (for getting married, including same-sex marriage)1

APPLICATION PACK Prepared by British Consulate General Madrid

PRINT THIS APPLICATION PACK ON SINGLESIDED PAPER. In this pack you will find: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Application Form Checklist of Supporting Documents and Postage Instructions Frequently Asked Questions Credit / Debit Card – Payment Authorisation Slip Affirmation – to be signed in front of a local Public Notary in Spain This page requires the signature, stamp and seal. Please read page 4 for further information

www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad

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This application pack cannot be used for Pareja/ Unión de hecho (cohabitation registration for both same sex and opposite sex). If you require a Marital Status Certificate for a different reason (e.g. pareja/unión de hecho or other reason), please refer to our website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-forspain#certificate-of-marital-status-for-cohabitation-registration-parejaunin-de-hecho-in-spain

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1. APPLICATION FORM Marital Status Certificate for Marriage Please note: You will be charged one fee for this service (Fee 2ii), plus postage. If you are also making a separate application for the Notice of Marriage and Certificate of No Impediment, you will be charged a second and third fee - one for displaying the Notice of Marriage (Fee 10) and one for the Certificate of No Impediment (Fee 11ii).

All applicants must complete every section of this form and send it together with your supporting documents. Failure to fill in the application pack correctly will delay your application and may result in it being sent back to you by registered post at a cost of €5. 1. Applicant’s Full Name:

2. Current Address in Spain:

3. E-mail: 4. Contact telephone number(s): 5. Applicant’s Gender: Female

Male

6. Applicant’s Marital Status: Single

Divorced (if you are divorced, you are not single)

Annulled Civil Partnership

Widowed

Dissolved Civil Partnership

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE: 7. Place of intended marriage (name of town): ......................................................... 8. Name of authority in Spain (civil registry, court, etc.) requesting the certificate from the British Consulate:

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For questions 9 and 10, you MUST input at least a month and year in the corresponding box: 9. Date of appointment to submit paperwork to the authority in Spain to get married: (If you have not made an appointment, write an approximate date) 10. Date of intended marriage: an approximate month and year is required Delivery Address and Contact Information 11. Getting your certificate: Your certificate and original documents will be sent to you by courier (DHL) (€13.50) to an address in Spain. Write the full name, contact telephone number and postal address (including postcode) of the person receiving the documents: (Please note: DHL will not deliver to a PO Box address (apartado de correos):

Name Contact number Postal address

Disclaimer “I understand and accept that it is my responsibility to ensure that any document provided as a result of this Consular service is acceptable to the requesting authority and that if the document is to be presented outside of the UK or Spain, the signature of the Consular officer will be recognised by the requesting authority. Refunds cannot be given where the incorrect service is requested. I request the British Consulate in Madrid accept receipt of my Marital Status Certificate application by post/courier and that my certificate and any original documents be returned to me by courier. I understand and accept that if my application is sent back to me for any reason, I will be charged for postage. In doing so, I fully understand and accept that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office assumes no legal or other responsibility for any loss, damage or misplacement of the said property whilst in transit to or from the British Consulate in Madrid. Entiendo y acepto que es mi responsabilidad asegurarme que el documento objeto de este servicio consular y la firma del Oficial Consular serán reconocidos en el país y por la autoridad requirente del mismo. Los servicios notariales solicitados incorrectamente no serán reembolsados. Por el presente, requiero al Consulado Británico en Madrid que acepte mi solicitud del Certificado de Estado Civil por correo/mensajero y que me lo devuelva por mensajero el certificado y documentos originales. Entiendo y acepto que si mi solicitud es devuelta por cualquier motivo, se me cobrarán los gastos de envío. Con esta petición entiendo y acepto que la Foreign and Commonwealth Office no asume ninguna responsabilidad legal por la pérdida, daños o extravío de los documentos arriba mencionados durante el transporte desde o hacía el Consulado Británico en Madrid”.

Signature ..................................................................................... Date ....................................................

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2. CHECKLIST – Marital Status Certificate 1

Application Form (signed and dated under the disclaimer).

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Credit Card Authorisation Form – NO CASH PAYMENTS.

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

Affirmation (Declaración Solemne), fully completed and signed in front of a Notary Public in Spain. You should ask them for a “Legitimación de firma” – NOT an “acta de manifestaciones”. The “Legitimación de firma” (signature and seal of the notary) can be placed on the back of the affirmation page. The affirmation MUST be printed on single-sided paper or you will have to repeat the notarial process. All your details should be exactly as they appear on your passport, and all your parents’ details should be exactly as they appear on your birth certificate. Include an estimated date and place of your marriage. This must not be left blank.

REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS 5

A photocopy of the details page of your current valid British passport

6 If you are resident in Spain: a photocopy of your Certificado de Empadronamiento (Town

Hall registration certificate), bearing your current address, or a photocopy of your Spanish residence certificate (green document/card which bears your NIE number and your address), bearing your current address If you are not a resident of Spain: proof of your current and/or previous address(es), by submitting recent and original copies of one of the following documents or Spanish equivalent listed below, and a photocopy:      

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electoral role confirmation letter / utility bills (not printed off the internet) / building society/savings bank passbook bank/building society/credit card statement (not ones printed off the internet) mortgage statement /council tax demand / credit reference agency search council tax demand / credit reference agency search recent evidence of entitlement to state or local authority-funded benefit, tax credit, pension, educational or other grant

A photocopy of your original birth certificate which shows your parents’ details (long form birth certificate). If you have not got this and you were born in the UK, you can obtain a certified copy from http://www.gro.gov.uk

8 If you have been married before and are now divorced, your original decree absolute, and

a photocopy. If you got divorced in Spain, please send us the Certificado Literal del Matrimonio con la inscripción marginal del divorcio. If you are widowed or the surviving partner of a civil partnership, the original death certificate of your late spouse or civil partner, and a photocopy. Please also provide a photocopy of the marriage certificate. If you have previously registered a civil partnership, your original certificate of dissolution/annulment of your previous civil partnership or samesex marriage, and a photocopy If any of your documents are not issued in the UK or Spain, consular staff may need to make further enquiries. Documents that are not written in English or Spanish will have to be translated. Spanish authorities may ask you to provide a Spanish translation of any document not in Spanish.

POSTAGE INSTRUCTIONS Your completed application pack should be sent by registered post to:

British Consulate-General Madrid Consular Services Torre Espacio Paseo de la Castellana 259D 28046 Madrid

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3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. A.

Will the certificate be issued in Spanish? Yes.

2. A.

Does the consular certificate need to be legalised (ie with an apostille)? No.

3.

Do all pages in the application form require the signature and offical seal (legitimación de firma) of the Public Notary in Spain? Answer: No, only the Affirmation (page 7).

A. 4. A.

The Public Notary wants to provide the Acta de Manifestación service as well as the Legitimación de Firma on the Affirmation. Is this necessary? No, we only require the Legitimación de firma on the Affirmation. To consult services provided by Public Notaries in Spain, please visit the website: http://www.notaries-directory.eu/

5. A.

Can I get the Affirmation notarised by a judge or lawyer? No, only by a Public Notary in Spain.

6. A.

I will not be given a date for my wedding until after I submit my papers to the civil registry. What date will I write on the application pack? You must write your intended date of marriage. An approximate month and year must be written (e.g. August 2018) If you do not provide this information, you may be required to complete your Affirmation again in front of a Public Notary.

7. A.

How long will it take to get my certificate? The process can take up to 30 working days from the date we take the payment.

8. A.

What other documents do I need to get married in Spain? You must check with the local authority where you are getting married in Spain to confirm which documents you need to get married. The British Consulate in Madrid provides two consular certificates for British nationals who are getting married in Spain: 1) Marital Status Certificate and 2) Certificate of No Impediment. The local authority must confirm if you require both or one of the consular certificates.

9. A.

What is my marital status if I am divorced? Divorced (you are not single)

10. What is my marital status if I am in a Pareja de Hecho/ Unión de Hecho in Spain? A. Spanish Pareja de Hecho/Unión de Hecho registration can be roughly described as registering a common-law relationship. This means you have registered your cohabitation with your partner at local Spanish authority level without getting legally married. When you register your cohabitation as a couple either with a person of the same-sex or opposite sex with the local Town Hall/Council, the registration does not affect your marital status. If you were single/divorced/widowed at the time of registering your cohabitation with the local Spanish authorities, your marital status remains the same during your cohabitation. If you cancel your cohabitation registration, this also does not affect your marital status. Cohabitation registration in Spain is not the equivalent of UK Civil Partnership. Cohabitation registration is regulated by the local Spanish authorities. This is usually the Autonomous Community where you reside and it is available for both same-sex and opposite sex partners. Civil Partnership registration in the UK is available for same-sex partners only and is regulated by English law. 11. The name of my mother on my birth certificate is different to her name now. Which name do I write on the affirmation? A. You must write the name of your mother on the affirmation as it appears on your birth certificate regardless of whether it has changed at any point since your birth certificate was issued. 12. Does my Spanish marriage need to be registered in the UK? A. No, it is not possible to register your marriage either in the UK or at a British Consulate.

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BRITISH CONSULAR SERVICES FEES IN SPAIN 4. CREDIT / DEBIT CARD – PAYMENT AUTHORISATION SLIP Please enter your personal information and credit/debit card details as instructed and enclose it with your application. APPLICATION DETAILS Name of applicant: .................................................................................................................... Service requested : Fee 2ii Marital Status Certificate (£50) PAYMENT DETAILS Name on card:........................................................................................................................... Contact number of payee: ........................................................................................................ Relation to applicant (if not applicant): ..................................................................................... Type of card: Visa Visa Debit

Mastercard

Mastercard Debit

Card Number: Expiry Date:

/

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I authorise the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to charge my card ending for the amount of GBP £50. You will be charged in local currency and the amount will be the equivalent using the Consular Rate of Exchange at time of payment. Visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spain-consular-fees There will be an additional €13.50 fee to cover the cost of a DHL courier service. This remains a single €13.50 flat fee, even if multiple certificates are requested simultaneously. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office accepts no responsibility for this form until receipt by the FCO of the form. Signed by the Cardholder: ................................................. Date: .......................................... For Embassy’s use: Application Number: Processed on: /

/

Barclaycard reference: By:

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5. AFFIRMATION / DECLARACIÓN SOLEMNE 1)

I / Yo, (full name / nombre y apellido(s))………………………………………………………………………………………….

Do solemnly and sincerely affirm as follows / Declaro de forma solemne y sincera lo siguiente:The following is information about myself / Lo que sigue es información sobre mi persona: 2)

Occupation / Profesión ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3)

Usual Address / Dirección Habitual ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Information as it appears on my passport / Información que aparece en mi pasaporte (4-10): 4)

Surname(s) / Apellido(s):

5)

All forenames / Todos los nombres propios:

6)

Date of birth / Fecha de nacimiento:

7)

Place of birth / Lugar de nacimiento:

8)

Issue date of passport/ Fecha del expedición:

9)

Passport issuing authority / Autoridad del expedición:

10)

British passport number / Número de pasaporte británico:

11) Marital Status / Estado Civil ............................................................................................................................................... 11a) If divorced, date and place of issue of decree absolute / Si está divorciado, fecha y lugar de emisión de la sentencia firme de divorcio ………………………………………………….. 11b) If widowed, date and place of death of previous spouse / Si es viudo, fecha y lugar del fallecimiento del cónyuge anterior ………………………………………………………………….. Information as it appears on my birth certificate / Información que aparece en mi certificado de nacimiento (12-14) 12) All forename(s) and surname(s) of father / Todos los nombres y apellidos de mi padre: 13) All forename(s) and surname(s) of mother / Todos los nombres y apellidos de mi padre: 14) Mother’s maiden name / Apellido de soltera de mi madre:

15) I am [delete whichever is not applicable] / Yo [tache lo que no corresponda]: -

not under the age of 18 years / no soy menor de edad. under the age of 18 years, but the consent of the persons whose consent to the marriage is required by law, has been obtained / soy menor de edad pero se ha obtenido el consentimiento de las personas cuyo consentimiento para el matrimonio se requiere por ley. under the age of 18 years, but there is no person whose consent to the marriage is required by law / soy menor de edad pero no existe ninguna persona cuyo consentimiento para el matrimonio se requiera por ley.

A marriage is proposed to be solemnised between me and 16) .....................................................................(name and surname of partner) of 17) ............................................................................................................................................................... (usual address), a 18) ................................................ (nationality of partner) national at 19)........................................................ (place of marriage) on 20)........................................................(approximate date of marriage, month and year is required). Me propongo contraer matrimonio con 16) ............................................................................... (nombre y apellido de la pareja) de 17) ........................................................................................................................................................................ (dirección habitual), ciudadano/a 18) ................................................ (nacionalidad de la pareja) en 19) ........................................................ (lugar del matrimonio) el 20) ........................................................ (fecha prevista del matrimonio, se requiere el mes y el año). I am free to enter into this proposed marriage and believe that there is not any impediment by reason of kindred or alliance, or other lawful hindrance, to this proposed marriage. / Tengo capacidad para celebrar el matrimonio propuesto y considero que no existe impedimento alguno por motivos de consanguinidad, alianza ni ninguna otra limitación legal para el matrimonio propuesto. Affirmed at a Notary Public / Declarado ante Notario Público; 21) this ..........day of .............................20……. / A fecha de ….. de ……………………. de 20……. 22) before me / ante mí ..................................................................... 23) X................................................................................................... 24) X……………………………………………………………….. (signature & official seal of Notary Public) / (signature of deponent) / (firma del declarante) (firma y sello oficial del Notario Público)

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